Congress cuts down its vacation breaks

Citing the need for more working days, both chambers of the 15th Congress have decided to cut down their vacation breaks for its first regular session. Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said both the Senate and the House of Representatives have approved resolutions which shortened the vacation breaks of the lawmakers during the first regular session of the 15th Congress. "There are many things to take up on the floor. Shortening the break will give us the chance to do more legislation," Sotto said in a statement released on Thursday. During the 14th Congress, the first regular session commenced on July 27, 2009 and ended on October 16. It then resumed on November 9 and adjourned on November 21. During the 15th Congress, the first regular session commenced on July 26, 2010 and is scheduled to end on October 15. It will resume on November 8. Unlike the previous Congress, however, the session for this year will continue without break from November 8 until December 17. Last year, the third regular session of the 14th Congress took a break from November 21 to November 30. The first regular session of the 15th Congress will also not take a break in February unlike in the previous session. "All vacations were shortened except for Holy Week break, giving us more time to do our mandate," he said. He added that they hope to have the budget passed by the House of Representatives at least until the second reading by October 16. Finance committee head Senator Franklin Drilon said that they hope to enact the 2011 budget before the end of the year to make the the adoption of the new legislative calendar "timely." He said the Senate could begin scrutinizing the proposed 2011 national budget starting next week. "With shorter vacation breaks, we can allot more time in scrutinizing the 2011 budget. This will perhaps, allow us to make sure that every single centavo will go to deserving projects, and not the pockets of dishonest government officials," he said. - VVP, GMANews.TV